FSC 97
|return = |withdraw = |pre = FSC #96|nex = FSC #98|image = |winner = }} Following yet another win by Norway in FSC 96, we gather for another Norwegian hosting. This time, however, the host city is the small Russian mining town of Barentsburg, on the Svalbard Islands. This is in recognition of Russia's close second place in the previous edition. This edition sees the debut of India in FSC, as well as the return of Ireland, Malaysia and Morocco. The only country to withdraw is Brazil, giving a total of 32 participants. For the second time in FSC history, Morocco emerged as the winner. Second place went to Italy and Croatia came third. The Host City Barentsburg is a small predominently Russian coal mining community on the island of Spitsbergen in the island group of Svalbard in the arctic region, which is part of the Kingdom of Norway. We meet here in neighbourly friendship and positive fraternization , after a very competitive FSC 96-edition & Russia’s near-win. Named after Dutch explorer Willem Barents, Barentsburg is a mining town, situated on the eastside of Grønfjorden, with coal mining conducted by the Soviet company Arktikugol since 1932. Although Svalbard is under Norwegian sovereignty, the unique Svalbard Treaty of 1920 allows citizens of signatory countries equal rights to exploit natural resources. Russia , along with Norway maintains mining operations on Svalbard as a result. Russia maintains a consulate in Barentsburg , northernmost diplomatic mission of any kind, in the world. Barentsburg started as a Dutch mining town in the 1920s. In 1932 the Dutch sold their concession to the Soviet Union. The town relies entirely on mainland Russia , for food and coinage. The population has declined over the decades; in its heyday over 1000 citizens inhabited Barentsburg while today’s population , is about half of that, around 500 persons according to the latest figures. The town has mostly old Soviet style architecture, a Culture center and a Community center that caters for some activities for the local residents and visitors. It also has a school , a library , an old church , a sports center , docks, a hotel, a souvenir shop and several monuments (most famous the world's second northernmost Lenin-statue, and a monument to coal/mining). The Venue The venue for FSC March 2017 is the Barentsburg Kulturhus. ''' It is mostly used by Russian and Ukrainian residents & visitors, but also some Norwegians and others visiting the settlement. It's very popular for smaller events, like Christrmas celebrations for families and children but is at times also used for bigger cultural events & some concerts. They are proud to host this FSC Show from their Culture Center, an intimate but warm & welcoming concert hall , & are happy to welcome all participating countries, artists & delegations to Barentsburg. The Hosts Our lovely hosts this evening are '''Kygo and Julia Savicheva. Kygo (or Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll), born 1991, is a Norwegian DJ, EDM-artist & record producer. He has accumulated 300 million+ views on his music on SoundCloud and YouTube , and world attention & success in recent years. In 2014, he released the single ‘Firestone’ which was a huge success. Since then he has released several other popular songs, featuring guest vocalists & also an album in 2016 . He has had a worldwide tour and continues to impress world audiences. Julia Savicheva, born 1987, is a Russian singer, best known in the West for having represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Turkey. She was born into a family of musicians in the city of Kurgan on the edge of Siberia east of the Ural Mountains. In 2003 she took part in Star Factory, a Russian talent show. Her first album was released post-ESC in 2005 . In the following years, she performed in concerts , and released more albums with some success and popularity . Her latest albums were released in 2012, and in 2014. The Show The Results The Winner Bouchra - Blanc ou Noir: